Fantasy Football Week 15 Tight End Start/Sit: Tyler Warren, Isaiah Likely, and More
Three tight ends to start and three to sit in Week 15 of the NFL season.
The time for screwing around is over; we have reached the fantasy football playoffs (in most leagues). Every decision carries extra importance now, as one player could be the difference between continuing your fight for the championship and seeing your season end.
Keep in mind, though: luck is still the most important thing. Even if you build the best roster on paper and put full thought into every decision, your players might just not perform on the day, leaving you helpless to intervene.
Let's look at three tight ends to start and three to sit in Week 15 of the NFL season. While we usually don't talk about the biggest names, there will be a few of those players listed below because of extenuating circumstances. Most stats are from NFL.com.
Use FantasySP's weekly projections to find the players expected to perform best and help make your toughest lineup decisions!
Start
Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals
The first step every week is to look up who the Bengals are playing and list their tight end(s) here if applicable. Cincinnati is allowing the second-most yards per pass attempt and by far the most fantasy points to tight ends; like, it's not even close. Last week, Buffalo's trio of Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, and Spencer Hawes combined for 11 catches, 137 yards, and two touchdowns against the Bengals.
Zay Flowers is the clear leader of Baltimore's receiving group followed by everyone else, including the two tight ends. Andrews is in second (and far ahead of third place) in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, and he leads the team with five touchdowns.
His production is still only modest, as Andrews is averaging around three catches and 26 yards per game. Likely is close to two receptions and 25 yards per game and has scored one touchdown, which came last week against the Steelers.
There's a low floor here, but the ceiling is just way too good to ignore. Andrews is owned in most leagues, so you're heavily considering him if you have him, but Likely is widely available and could be picked up. Don't think of him as a savior, but he's a low-level streamer with a big-time upside if you have otherwise uninspiring options.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants vs. Washington Commanders
The Giants are short on playmakers, something that was true before they lost star receiver Malik Nabers early in the season. Wan'Dale Robinson is far ahead of the rest of the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, but Johnson leads the team with five touchdowns and ranks second in the other three categories.
He is averaging a little more than three catches and 35 yards per game, modest production but enough to make him a worthy streaming player, especially since he's finding the end zone. The matchup this week makes Johnson a very intriguing player.
The Commanders have allowed the most yards per pass attempt and the second-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. If it weren't for Cincinnati's laughable tight end defense, Washington might be our best TE matchup.
The schedule is mixed the rest of the way, so this might be the only week you use Johnson, but he has a great outlook. Anyone without a weekly starter at tight end would do well to look here.
Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts @ Seattle Seahawks
Warren would usually be one of those obvious names that I don't need to mention here; he is a weekly starter as a rookie and will be drafted as such next year in fantasy leagues. The reason I'm listing him, though, is to say that he can still be a positive fantasy option this week even with the Indianapolis quarterback situation in flux.
Daniel Jones is out for the year with a torn Achilles, and Riley Leonard, who took over for the starter, has a knee injury, which caused the team to sign Philip Rivers; Rivers last played in 2020. Brett Rypien is also on the roster, but no matter ends up starting, Indy's passing-game ceiling dropped dramatically with Jones' injury.
The matchup here is also fantastic for tight ends. Seattle has been very good against the pass, allowing the fewest yards per pass attempt. They have given up the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends, though, regularly getting beat by the position. The Seahawks have only held opposing TEs under 50 total receiving yards in three of 13 games.
I understand if you want to bench Warren. His floor is very low, and with Seattle's good defense, there's always a chance they find a way to shut down the Colts' best pass catcher. Warren is still a good option if you don't have a high floor or ceiling elsewhere, though, and a guy who can find success without Jones under center.
Sit
Evan Engram, Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers
Engram's pedestrian season continues, as he is averaging around three receptions and 30 yards per game with just one touchdown. He was listed in the “Start” section a few weeks ago with a great matchup against Washington (and he had six catches for 79 yards), but that's the only time all year he has topped five receptions or reached 50 yards.
The matchup this week is much tougher, as the Packers have allowed the second-fewest yards per pass attempt and the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. Green Bay was more susceptible to TEs early in the season, but no team reached 50 yards from the position between Weeks 8 and 13 until the Bears got 73 last week.
More than their tight end defense, I'm worried about facing the Packers in general, as they have a tough defensive unit that has them in playoff position. With a player in Engram who just hasn't made an impact, there's a poor outlook in this one.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
Henry began the season on our “Start” list often with great matchups against teams like the Dolphins and Steelers, but the schedule has gotten tougher for his position, even as it has stayed fairly easy for the Patriots as a whole.
Henry is averaging 3.5 catches and 47 yards per game and has five touchdowns; he is second on the team in each of those categories, along with targets. Stefon Diggs is the only player above Henry in the passing hierarchy, leaving him with a chance to produce in a good offense.
The matchup is the problem here, as the Bills have given up the ninth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points to tight ends. The position is averaging less than three receptions and 35 yards per game with just two touchdowns, though Buffalo is coming off a game in which Mike Gesicki (who hadn't done anything all year) had six catches for 86 yards and a score.
The broader numbers show Buffalo as one of the best tight end defenses in the league, and that means a low floor for Henry. When these teams played in early October, Henry had two catches for 46 yards; something even quieter is very possible.
Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders @ Philadelphia Eagles
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals @ Houston Texans
We're going to finish with two stars who you will never bench, and they're usually not players I would list in the start/sit; there's no question that you should start both tight ends. The reason I'm including them, though, is because they both have very tough matchups, so it's important to understand that there is a realistic scenario in which each has a quiet day.
(There also wasn't a great third option to put in here in the “Sit” section, so it made sense to point out the two stars with brutal opponents rather than someone like Green Bay's backup tight ends against Denver.)
The Eagles have allowed the eighth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends; Houston has given up the third fewest and fifth fewest, respectively. These teams have been shutting down passing games, and tight ends specifically, all season.
Again, you're probably not ever considering benching either Bowers or McBride. Leaving them out of your lineup only to see them put up a big day would be a sickening feeling in the playoffs; don't put yourself through that. Skip these players in DFS, and if you would happen to have another great option, it's fine to consider that player instead of one of these stars.
